A classic French pastry bar arrives in Wickham
Wickham’s newest addition comes at the hands of pastry-enthused couple, Jessica and Phillip – a couple some may recognise as the original owners of Lorn’s much-loved patisserie.
Owners – Jessica & Phillip
After stepping away from the business a few years ago, the couple has returned to the pastry world with a fresh perspective and a new venture. Say hello to Union St Pastry – a pastry bar tucked onto Wickham’s Union Street.
“When we sold, we had no intention of ever starting another business again. After two years, we got itchy feet and knew we needed to do something. We basically had to make a decision to either move into new careers or start from fresh with pastry again,” Jessica said.
Start fresh they did, but this time on their own terms.
“We really thought about what part of the process we enjoyed the most – and it was always the pastry. So, we talked about honing in on that as a niche product, and building the business around it and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
The new space, located inside the former Duff’s Ice Cream shop, is intentionally small with just enough room for everything they need to offer – no more than 12 different types of pastry every day alongside coffee with beans from Sydney-based roastery, Padre Coffee.
“It was smaller than we originally envisioned, but we realised that starting small is exactly what we needed. We also wanted something just Phil and I could operate if we needed to.”
Each day, the offering will include a handful of classic staples alongside a rotating selection of Phillip’s seasonal and creative bakes with a mix of both sweet and savoury.
“There will always be a couple of those classics, then that gives Phillip the freedom to get creative.”
But don’t expect over-the-top flavour mashups or gimmicky fillings. Here, the focus is rooted in French technique and the pastries are clean, elegant, and made with precision.
“We really wanted to bring our pastries back to a classic French light and airy pastry.”
After quietly opening their doors on Thursday, July 17, the pair opted for a soft launch to settle into their rhythm, and now they’re ready for Newcastle’s pastry-obsessed locals to drop by for a try.
